The Red Lady
by jcdenton2012
Summary: The Codicium Aeternum is a holy document within the Ordo Malleus which outlines the details regarding, and means of banishing, known demonic entities encountered by the Inquisition. This particular short outlines the known details regarding one such demonic entity within Warhammer 40k lore. (A demon I also just made up)


Codicium Aeternum: The Red Lady

This entry into the Codicium Aeternum will now cover all that the Ordo Malleus knows at the present regarding the demonic entity known as, 'The Red Lady.' Unlike other entries within this sacred tomb, The Red Lady, is actually a demonic entity renown for tormenting the souls of Eldar women going through child birth. The Inquisition only knows of this demon from our limited range of cultural contact with the Eldar Xenos race… specifically through the Harlequins.

Regardless of how we know of this demon, we can state with certainty that the Red Lady is a demonic representation of Despair, and an Avatar of Slaneesh. Unlike other demons who feast upon the souls of those perfectly healthy, still living, and breathing… the Red Lady instead devours the souls of stillborn children, and Eldar women exsanguinating from child birth.

Based upon the information supplied to the Inquisition for purposes of record keeping, The Red Lady is a feminine demon whose outward appearance is a warped physical representation of Eldar sorrow and despair whose body itself is formed out of hardened alien blood. Encounters with The Red Lady occur during Eldar childbirth starting with the soon to be mother's soul stone turning into a shade of darkened red. This seemingly bizarre twist is then followed by a massive traumatic hemorrhaging of the mother's internal organs leading to the Eldar woman's death, and the subsequent cause of her child becoming stillborn.

Both the souls of the child and mother are then consumed by The Red Lady during this traumatic event; however, this is not an immediate cause of the low Eldar birthrate. Instead, this is merely yet another source of fear caused by Slaneesh who seeks to claim Eldar souls.

The Red Lady is a cultural specter whose purpose appears to be the wicked torment of Eldar women thus creating a stigma for childbearing. As a subsequent result, most Eldar women seek to avoid creating families less they risk death at the hands of The Red Lady. However, this is mere speculation by the Eldar because no one has of yet spoken directly to this exceedingly cruel demon face to face.

What we do know for certain is that The Red Lady can strike anywhere during the Eldar birthing process. This includes within a supposedly secure Webway. Both the Eldar and Inquisition don't understand how such a demon could forcefully interact in such a secure area given our limited knowledge of the Warp, but… none-the-less this creature has proven very capable.

There is no known means to banish The Red Lady both by the Inquisition and the Eldar, the latter of whom having spent many millennia searching for a way to banish this foul monster for both cultural and logistical purposes. Instead, all one can hope is that they will be one of the many unmolested child births during which The Red Lady does not claim their alien souls. Note, that I wrote many, The Red Lady only torments a small minority of Eldar childbirths, notably one in every five hundred, but that numerically is enough to instill fear amongst the entire Eldar civilization whether it be the Craftworld Eldar or Dark Eldar.

Regarding the Dark Eldar, and this is an oddity in its own right, but The Red Lady is actually worshipped as something of a demonic deity by a group of Eldar gladiators known as the Harai Bad (Blood Women), who are renowned for fighting undressed and coated from head to toe in crimson vitae harvested usually from a human sacrifice prior to combat. The purpose of these gladiators appears to be sacrificial. They dedicate the lives of those they kill within the gladiator arenas to The Red Lady during the special occasions of Eldar nobility child birthing within Commorragh.

This is usually done by harvesting the reproductive organs of the male gender humans they slay in the arena, and presenting such organs upon an alter dedicated to The Red Lady herself. It is important to note that such methods have always guaranteed a successful child birth for the Dark Eldar mother herself… but… we in the Inquisition prefer not to ponder upon such… 'methods.'


End file.
